Pipe-wrench.



I J. HELM. PIPE WRENCH.

APPLICATION IILBD 00T. 23, 1911.

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Patented July 2, 1912 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOHN HELM, 0F ST. LOUIS, MSSOURI.

PIPE-WRENCH.

Speeioation or Letters Patent.

Application filed October 23, 1911.

Patented July 2, 1912.

Serial No. 656,126.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HELM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city ot St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Pipe-Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wrenches and more particularly wrenches for heavy work such as connecting screw-threaded sections of pipe for oil, gas and other pipe lines.

It has for its principal objects to produce a device which can be readily applied and actuated with but slight exertion on the part of the operator, and to attain certain other advantages which will hereinafter more fully appear.

The invention consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying myA invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of the separable end portions of the two members of the rotary chuck-ring; Fig. t is a fragmentary view of the hinged end portions of said members; and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

The device comprises a supporting base or frame which may obviously be a casting4 or a built-up structure, desirable. As shown in the drawings, the base comprises a pair of horizontal side members 1 of angle iron section which are connected at their ends by cross members or `plates 2. The plates 2 are riveted, as at 3, to the horizontal flanges of said side members 1. The structure is stiil'ened by securing angle brackets 4 to the inner faces of the vertical llanges of the side members 1 by rivets 5 and con necting said angle brackets to plates 6, as by rivets 7.

Secured to the sido members 1 are angle plates 8 whose horizontal flanges are riveted to the under side of the horizontal flanges oi the members 1 by rivets 9; and plates 10 are secured to the outer faces `of the vertical flanges of said angle members 1 by rivets 11. These plates 8 and 10 are arranged in oppositely disposed pairs and journaled between the respective pairs of plates are rollers 12; and the top edge portions of said plates, between the rollers, are concaved as at 13 so as to be clear of the pipe Pwhich is supported on the rollers in the manner hereinafter more fully appearing and as shown by the broken lines in Figs. 1, 3 and 4,.

Secured near the ends of the angle meint bers 1 are two oppositely disposed pairs of standards or uprights 14 and 15. The upright 14 of each pair comprises a plate having its lower end portion flanged and secured to the under side ot' the horizontal flange of the member 1 by rivets 16. The plates 15 are secured to the inner faces of the vertical flanges of the members 1 by rivets 17. Pivoted between the respective pairs of uprights 14, 15, as at 18, are yokes each comprising a pair of parallel side members 19 between which are journaled rollers 20. The portions of the yoke members 19 between said rollers 2O are curved to clear the pipe P the same as the plates 8 and 10 are concaved at their upper edge portions. 'lhe' rollers 12 and 2O provide antifriction four-point supports for the pipe.

A ratchet chuck-ring 21 having a series of peripheral teeth 22 is Secured, on the pipe l). This chuck-ring comprises two half members hinged at one end as by a rule joint. 23, the opposite ends of said members being respectively reduced as at 24 and bifurcnted as at 24 .s0 as to slidably it together'. The chuck-ring members are made hollow or substantially U-sl1ape in transl verse section, as shown, and provided with annulaitlanges 25 on opposite sides at their inner edges. These ilanges serve to stiien the mcnlbers and also to center the ratchet portion between the side frames ot' the machine, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2. At intervals tho members 21 may be further stillened by interior radial webs 26. Segmental clutch-blocks 27 are fitted loosely in the channel portions of the ring-members 21, and the clutch faces of the blocks are provided with teeth 28 or otherwise suitably roughened so as to grip the pipe. The blocks are provided with transverse pins 29 which project through cam slots 30 in the side walls of the rin' members 21. The cam slots are incline( so that ,when the ratchet ring is rotated the tendency is forlinks or bolts 31 which are pivoted, as at 32,

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to one of the ring members. Said bolts are screw-threaded, as at 33, to receive nuts 34 which bear against bifurcated lugs 35 on the o posite ring member, into which bifurcations the bolts are adapted to loosely tit.

In practice, the ratchet chuck-ring is secured on the pipe, and the latter is laid on the bottom rollers 12 with the chuck-ring interposed between the two side frames. The yoke members 19 are then swung over above the pipe until the rollers 20 rest there on. The yoke members are then fastened by links or bolts 36 which are pivoted at their lower ends between the vertical flanges ot che side members 1 and ends of the side plates 8, as at 37. The upper end portions ofI the belts 3 6 are screw-threaded and inserted loosely through perforations in a ,cross bar 38 which rests on top of the yoke members 19. Preferably, the bottom face of the cross bar 38 is conveXed and the yoke members are n rovided with counterpart notches in'which the bar is seated;` Clamping nuts 39 are placed on the screw-threaded ends of the bolts to impinge against the up'- per face of said cross bar.

Mounted between the side frames is a rocking lever 40 which is j ournaled asat 41. This rocking lever is provided with ratchet p'aWls 42 and 43 which are located respectively on opposite sides of the pivot of said lever so as to engage the ratchet teeth 22 of the chuck-ring to impart motion thereto on both the up and down strokes of the rocking lever. A bellcrank 44 is journaled, as at 45, between the two upright plates l5. The upper arm of this bellcrank is provided with a socket to receive a lever bar 4G. The opposite arm of said belle-rank is pivotally connected to one end of a link 47 whose opposite end is pivoted t-o the rocking lever 40.

t will thus be seen that the compound lever-` Obviously, the device admits of consider-' able modification 4without departing from ing' means for rotatably supporting a pipe, a chuck-ring adapted to be secured on the pipe, said chuck-ring having an annular series of ratchet teeth thereon, a rocking lever pivoted on said base framea pawl on said rocking lever adapted to engage said ratchet teeth on the chuckming, and a hand lever operatively connected and adapted to actuate said rocking lever.

2. A wrench comprising a'ba'se frame having means for rotatably supporting a pipe, a chuck-ring adapted to be secured on the pipe, said chuck-ring having an annularfseries ot ratchet teeth thereon, a rocking lever pivoted on said base frame, two pawls on said rocking lever located respectively on opposite sides of its pivot and engaging said ratchet teeth,' and a hand lever operatively connected and adapted to actua-te said rockf thereon, a rocking lever, two pawls on said rocking lever located respectively on oppo-i site sides of its pivot, a bellcrank operating lever, and a link pivotally connecting 4bes tween said bellcrank and rocking lever;

5. A wrench comprising a transversely extending base frame, said base frame comprising spaced parallel pairs of side members, rollers journaled on said base frame side members so as to rotatably support a pipe, a yoke member movably mounted on said base frame above said side members, rollers journaled on said movable yoke member, means for detachably holding said movable yoke member with its rollers in contact with the pipe, a chuck-rin adapted to be detachably secured on the pipe, and a power device cooperating with said chucksrmg t rotate the pipe.

6; A wrench comprisingmeans for-rotatably supporting a pipe, a chuck-ring adapted to be placed around the ipe, clutch mem- /bers on said chuck-ring adapted to enga e thef pipe, said clutch members being movab y mounted and arranged so that when the rclmck-ring is rotated lin one direction they tend to move inwardly soas to grip the pipe,

and means coperating with the chuck-ring to eect the rotation of the pipe or its support.

A7. A wrench comprising a base frame having parallel side members having means for rotatably supporting a pipe thereon, a channeled chuck-ring comprising two members pivotally connected at one end and havingy means whereby their opposite ends are detachably and adjustably connected, said (:huckri1ig being` fitted loosely between the side members of the base frame, clutchblocks mounted loosely in the channels of said chuck-ring and adapted to engage the pipe, and cam means for supporting said 15 clutch blocks so that they tend to move tocward the axis ofthe chuck-ring when the latter is rotated in one direction.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 18th day of October, 1911. i

JOHN HELM. Witnesses:

G. A. PENNI'NGTON, PAULINE AMBERG. 

